Many types of printers use a “transfix” drum that serves as an intermediate print media. The transfix drum is kept at an elevated temperature for proper function of the ink transfer process. Transfix drums have been made of metal having a significant thermal capacity which makes the drum slow to be heated “on demand” whenever prints are requested. On the other hand however, if the drum is kept at the elevated temperature at all times, the heat lost from its large surface is substantial and leads to significant power consumption in idle mode. Thus, massive metal drum printers may be either power hungry or slow responding, which can limit their competitiveness in today's markets.